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The views expressed in these pages are the views of the Stockport and South Manchester branch and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Campaign for Real Ale.

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Why volunteer to help CAMRA?

I will cut to the chase and spell it out up front - Free beer!

Yes you will get pleasure out of a job well done. You will meet likeminded people who may become life-long friends. There are opportunities to put into practice skills you have, or would like to develop or hone. In short there are a multitude of ways you can help by volunteering for a task in CAMRA. Some tasks can be completed pretty much in your own time. These are ongoing tasks which need to be performed but don't tie you down to a rigid timetable. Some can even be performed from the comfort of your home.

Give examples of tasks which I could do?

Social Media - If you are into modern forms of communication keep us informed by sending messages via twitter, facebook or our news group.

Write an article - The editor of Opening Times is always interested in articles or even short series about pubs and related topics. These usually also find their way onto this website.What topic? - Do you know the history of a pub? Know how to play long forgotten pub games such as knur and spell? Can you elucidate why beer casks are sized in multiples of 9 gallons and why there is no 45 gallon cask?

Help deliver CAMRA Calling - Delivering as few as 10 copies four times a year saves over £20 in postage. Could you assist?

Help deliver Opening Times - This requires a monthly commitment to take Opening Times into a number of pubs. You volunteer which pubs you cover, so we won't ask you to go miles out of your way.

Take on a pub liaison post - Befriend a licensee or three, keep in touch with them and report back on developments. We all know pubs are closing at an alarming rate, but the first most of us here is when the For Sale notice goes up outside and the door is locked.

Help at a beer/cider festival- There are many tasks which need performing in order to deliver excellent beer and cider to the public. I hope to persuade a festival organiser to give a breakdown of jobs they would like doing, but here are a few examples.

Are you licenced to drive a fork lift truck? - Bigger festivals would rip your arm off for this skill (though how good a driver you would then be . . .)

Qualified electrician - There is a lot of electrics required to power all the equipment, and it is not just a case of plugging in a 13A extension lead!

Heating and ventilating engineer? - You could come to the rescue of many festivals, some being too warm, others lacking adequate heating.

CAMRA'S VOLUNTEER CHARTER

CAMRA's Volunteering Policy is:

CAMRA recognises the importance that its volunteers play in campaigning, building awareness and generating income. CAMRA's National Executive will endeavour to ensure that volunteers are valued, supported and treated with respect.

A Charter describes the ethos of an organisation and provides a framework within which:

A volunteer can expect how to be treated

An organisation can outline what they expect from volunteers

This Charter has been developed to lay out the principles that underpin CAMRA's volunteering activities and that should be followed by all CAMRA members, whether at a local or national level.

CAMRA volunteers are people who contribute their time, energy and skills to support CAMRA without payment. They are the lifeblood of the organisation. CAMRA believes that it is important that you enjoy any volunteering you undertake. As a volunteer, you have the right to say no to any activity that you do not wish to take part in or with which you feel uncomfortable.

CAMRA's responsibility to volunteers

To make you feel welcome, appreciated and to treat you with respect.

To ensure that you can volunteer safely.

To enable you to work alongside people who share and support your interests.

To give you the chance to learn new skills and to be given training where relevant.

To offer you tasks that support CAMRA's aims.

To give you a clear point(s) of contact for support and advice.

To be clear in what you are being asked to do.

To ensure that every volunteer's opinion is welcomed and treated with respect.

If you have any concerns, they will be listened to and taken seriously.

Responsibilities of a CAMRA volunteer

To work together to achieve CAMRA's aims and objectives.

To be clear about what commitment you can give.

To try to give reasonable notice if you are unable to fulfil that commitment.

To be prepared to be flexible.

To adhere to CAMRA's policies, procedures and legal requirements.

To inform the relevant CAMRA official (national, regional or local) of any problems and issues encountered during your time as a volunteer.

To ask for help and guidance when it is needed.

To respect other volunteers and staff.

To avoid any actions that would bring CAMRA into disrepute.

Problems

Although we hope that there will not be any problems, CAMRA has processes in place to help deal with these. By using these processes, CAMRA endeavours to treat all complaints seriously and fairly. A copy of these processes is attached.

This Charter is a statement of values and is not intended to be a contract.

Volunteer Complaints Procedure

We want everyone who is involved with CAMRA to have an enjoyable time and to be treated fairly and with respect. But sometimes things do go wrong, as we are all only human!

This document is to help you if you have an issue that you think needs to be sorted out. All complaints will be treated as confidential and will not be raised or discussed with third parties unless they are directly involved with the issue. Complaints should not be discussed in meetings - there is often two sides to every story.

NB. Whoever is the final decision maker/arbitrator will always gather as much background information as necessary, including contacting all the parties concerned, before making their decision.

1. Serious Incidents

These include cases of assault, theft, fraud or misappropriation of funds. In other words, issues where it would be appropriate to have police involvement and they should be involved at the earliest opportunity and a case reference obtained.

It is worth noting at this point that no individual has the authority to confiscate a membership card from another member without the express permission from the Vice Chairman or Chairman of the National Executive.

In serious cases, you should inform your Regional Director. If they are not available then the Chairman of CAMRA's Disciplinary Committee (who is currently CAMRA's Vice Chairman) should be contacted as serious cases are considered by CAMRA's Disciplinary Committee.

2. Issues with paid staff

There is a set process for dealing with complaints relating to staff, which includes inaction/lack of response. It is recommended that you read the Getting the Most From HQ (which you can find at: http://www.camra.org.uk/meetthestaff). This covers the Membership Charter, which lays out the customer service that can be expected and how complaints are dealt with. Alternatively, write to CAMRA's Chief Executive at 230, Hatfield Road, St Albans Herts AL1 4LW.

3. Issues with National Executive, National Committees and Individual Members of these committees

This covers all National Committees, Advisory Groups and Working Groups.

If you have a complaint about a National Committee such as an action (or lack of it) or an issue with a member of that committee or the committee itself, you should in the first instance, write to the Chairman of that Committee stating the issue. They will endeavour to reply within 2 weeks. If you are not satisfied with the reply, you may write to CAMRA's National Chairman, whose decision will be final.

Issues with your Regional Director, should be raised with them first and then via the Chairman of Branches Committee if you are not satisfied. Final appeal again rests with the National Chairman.

If you have a complaint about an individual National Executive member then try to resolve the matter directly with the person concerned. If the matter is not resolved satisfactorily then raise it with the National Chairman. Similarly, with complaints about the National Chairman, if the matter is not resolved satisfactorily with them directly, then they should be raised with CAMRA's Vice Chairman.

The same process should apply to lead volunteers who are not a National Director nor sit on a National Committee i.e. the National Chairman having the final decision.

4. Issues with Regional Officers

If you have a complaint about a Regional Officer, such as an action (or lack of it) or an issue with a member of a Regional committee, you should in the first instance, try to resolve it yourself or failing that write to the Regional Director (of the region where the regional officer resides) stating the issue. They will endeavour to reply within 2 weeks. If you are not satisfied with the reply, you may write to Chairman of Branches Committee, whose decision will be final.

5. Brewery Liaison Officers (BLOs)

Any issues that members or branches have with BLO's that cannot be resolved must be taken up with the appropriate Brewery Liaison Co-Ordinator (BLC). It must be stressed that Branches are not responsible for the hiring and firing of any BLO. This is the sole responsibility of the appropriate BLC who in turn are appointed by the National Executive.

If a BLO has a complaint about a branch, they should contact both the Regional Director and the BLC, who have the authority between them to resolve the matter. If they are unable to do so, the final decision will rest with the Chairman of Branches Committee and the Chairman of the Brewery Liaison Advisory Group.

If you have a problem with a BLC that cannot be resolved, the matter should be raised with the Chairman of the Brewery Liaison Advisory Group, whose decision will be final.

6. Pub Chain Liaison Officers (PCLOs)

Complaints regarding PCLO's follow the same process as the BLO's but with PLO's reporting to Pub Chain Liaison Co-Ordinators and the final decision resting with the Chairman of the Pub Chain Liaison Advisory Group.

7. Issues with fellow CAMRA members at a branch level

All members are expected to abide by CAMRA's Code of Conduct, which can be found at: http://www.camra.org.uk/policy. However, sometimes people fall out or do something silly that upsets someone else. It is acknowledged that many of these are in the type of "he said, she said" banter and inappropriate e-mails and text messages. This can be unpleasant but it is hoped that, with a degree of diplomacy and common sense, most of this type of issue can be resolved at branch level. To this end, CAMRA has put in place the following guidelines:

Firstly, try to resolve the issue directly with the person concerned. Try to put yourself in their position and if you may have misunderstood what they have done or said.

If this does not work, the next step is to refer the issue to your Branch Chairman. Try to think about what the outcome is you are seeking. Is it an apology, a reversal of a decision or something else?

The Branch Chairman may seek the advice of the Regional Director. However, if you are unsatisfied with the Branch Chairman reply, you may contact the Regional Director but you should inform the Branch Chairman that you are doing so. The Regional Director will endeavour to respond within 15 working days.

The Regional Director has the final decision unless the original complaint was against the Branch Chairman in which case Chairman of Branches Committee has the final decision.

8. Issues with fellow CAMRA members at a beer festival

Similarly with item 7:

Firstly, try to resolve the issue directly with the person concerned. Try to put yourself in their position and if you may have misunderstood what they have done or said.

If this does not work, the next step is to refer the issue to the Festival Staffing Officer. Try to think about what the outcome is you are seeking. Is it an apology, a reversal of a decision or something else?

If you are not satisfied with the response, then you may refer the issue to the Festival Organiser.

The Festival Organiser may seek the advice of the Regional Director. However, if you are unsatisfied with the Organiser's reply, you may contact the Regional Director but you should inform the Organiser that you are doing so. The Regional Director will endeavour to respond within 15 working days.

The Regional Director has the final decision unless the original complaint was against the Festival Organiser in which case Chairman of Branches Committee has the final decision.